Quality of life comparison
If you lived in New Zealand instead of Malaysia, you would:
Health
live 5.2 years longer
In Malaysia, the average life expectancy is 77 years (74 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024. In New Zealand, that number is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
see 3.9 times more spent on your healthcare
Malaysia spends $1,441 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). New Zealand spends $5,576 as of 2024.
have 54.3% more doctors per person
Malaysia has 23.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. New Zealand has 36.1 as of 2022.
have 11.8% more access to essential health services
Malaysia scores 76 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. New Zealand scores 85 as of 2021.
be 45.8% more likely to be obese
In Malaysia, 23.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In New Zealand, that number is 34.0% of people as of 2024.
be 2.1 times more likely to die by suicide
Malaysia has a suicide rate of 5.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In New Zealand, it is 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 3.8 times more money
Malaysia has a GDP per capita of $13,125 as of 2025, while in New Zealand, the GDP per capita is $49,591 as of 2025.
be 35.1% more likely to be unemployed
In Malaysia, 3.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In New Zealand, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
Life
be 73.1% less likely to die during childbirth
In Malaysia, approximately 26.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In New Zealand, 7.0 women do as of 2023.
be 42.9% less likely to die during infancy
In Malaysia, approximately 7.0 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In New Zealand, on the other hand, 4.0 children do as of 2024.
have 10.8% fewer children
In Malaysia, there are approximately 12.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In New Zealand, there are 11.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 48.4% more on education
Malaysia spends 3.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. New Zealand spends 5.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 2.5 times more on healthcare
Malaysia spends 4.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In New Zealand, that number is 10.1% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 3.2 times more coastline
Malaysia has a total of 4,675 km of coastline. In New Zealand, that number is 15,134 km.
Safety
be 52.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Malaysia, road accidents kill 13.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In New Zealand, they kill 6.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 100.0% more likely to be murdered
Malaysia has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In New Zealand, that number is 1.5 per 100,000 as of 2022.
Infrastructure
find 2.8 times more home broadband
Malaysia has 13.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. New Zealand has 38.0 as of 2024.
use 57.1% more electricity
Malaysia uses 5,084 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. New Zealand uses 7,989 kWh as of 2024.
live with 2.3 times more strain on fresh water
Malaysia withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. New Zealand withdraws 8% as of 2022.
Environment
be 81.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Malaysia, air pollution causes 63.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In New Zealand, it causes 12.0 as of 2019.
emit 27.8% less CO2
Malaysia emits 8.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. New Zealand emits 6.0 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Malaysia vs. New Zealand
New Zealand: At a glance
How big is New Zealand compared to Malaysia? See an in-depth size comparison.